The system of the invention is in the field of reprogramming systems that are used to provide data for altering or modifying program information stored in the memory of a programmed processor.
In the development of modern weaponry, the use of microprocessors to enhance the operation and performance of launched weapons is well known. For example, the increasing capacity of modern microprocessors to quickly and accurately perform complex tasks has led to the provision of processor-based guidance capability in weapons (such as missiles) that are aimed and fired at a target.
However, it is usually the case that each increment of operational ability provided to a weapon through the use of sophisticated electronics stimulates a corresponding increment or change in the threat which the weapon must meet. Thus, the margin of effectiveness enjoyed by a weapon as a result of a change to its internal electronics is often fleeting.
In the past, when a weapon's improved effectiveness was countered by an improvement to the technology of its intended target, the weapon was either altered or discarded and replaced. Alteration of a weapon incorporating electronics can often involve redesign and replacement of electronic circuitry. However, the advent of microprocessor-based weaponry facilitates the modification of a weapon's operation to meet a change in countervailing technology. For example, modification of a weapon's operation, guidance policy, or sensor spectrum can be accomplished by alteration of the implementing software.
Many microprocessor-based weapons that are currently deployed were not designed to be easily reprogrammed. In order to alter their programs, these weapons must be returned to a high maintenance echelon, where they are disassembled and reprogrammed. This results in an addition to the total lifetime cost of such weapons and reduces the readiness of the military units from which the weapons are removed for alteration.
It would therefore be advantageous to provide a system for adapting a microprocessor-based weapon to be reprogrammed in the field in a manner which does not require physical intrusion into the weapon, and which limits the margin of cost added to the lifetime cycle costs of the weapon.